Updates from The Stress Experts

Shifting Gears in a Faster World

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 23:03:00 -0500

I recently finished a 3-day AI employee boot camp with Callan Faulkner, and it opened my eyes to how helpful AI can be. As I was watching, I could feel my mind expanding with new possibilities.

But as I thought about it later, I could feel my world speeding up, and that caused me to pause.

I'm still not completely comfortable with the thought of using AI. But it's a tool that's not going away.

I'm sure that back in the day, when vehicles started becoming popular, the horse-drawn carriage drivers and diehards were afraid of giving up their carriages too, for something that was faster, made more noise, and was unfamiliar and possibly scary.

There's no denying it...

What Does It Mean to Express Emotion?

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 10:28:38 -0500

“Get it out.”

“Let it out.”

“Release it.”

But what exactly is the “it” we are talking about?

I started thinking about this because of the word express.

It actually has more than one meaning...

The Feeling About the Feeling

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 17:49:08 -0500

It can be uncomfortable and even painful to feel some emotions.

Grief can feel like a hole is being ripped through your heart.

Anger can feel like your blood is boiling in your veins.

Shame can feel like you can’t get small enough.

So it makes sense why we don’t actually want to experience unpleasant emotions - they’re unpleasant!

On top of the fact that they are uncomfortable, we often have unconscious beliefs about emotions that keep us from allowing ourselves to feel them. For example...

You Don’t Have to Earn the Right to Feel

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 22:32:00 -0500

There is a piece of advice that has been around for a very long time — be grateful.

Seemingly simple. Seemingly easy. Seemingly harmless.

And yet I am noticing a common pattern in my clients where “being grateful” isn’t always as harmless as it seems.

Don’t get me wrong! I know that a practice of gratitude has amazing benefits. Carol Look explores many of these benefits in her book Yes, Thank You, drawing on research showing associations between gratitude and things like well-being, happiness and stress.

So I’m not arguing against gratitude.

The problem I’m seeing isn’t gratitude itself. The problem is...

What If You're Afraid To Be Clear?

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 20:54:00 -0500

I’ve been struggling with getting clear and making decisions.

Whether it is a decision I have to make for my business or just deciding what to have for lunch, I dance back and forth and say, “I don’t know.”

Then I add more and more pressure to myself:

“Just choose already!! Do SOMETHING!”

But the more pressure I add, the more “I don’t know” I get—and the more frustrated I get with myself.

I used to think it was because I’m just not good at making decisions. It’s just who I am. And honestly, that has been a source of shame.

Then I started thinking...